The vitality of the traditional sesame rice cracker making village in Luong

When mentioning the Luong region, people not only remember a homeland rich in tradition, but are also captivated by the crispy, delicious flavor of its black sesame rice crackers. For hundreds of years, generations of descendants have continued to uphold the traditional craft passed down from their ancestors.

The craft of making sesame rice crackers in Do Luong commune is over 300 years old. Photo: Hoai Thu

Preserving the rhythm of a century-old craft village.

One of the origins of the long-standing rice paper making craft in Luong region is Vinh Duc Village (now part of Do Luong commune). Over more than 300 years, the craft here has not only been preserved as a cultural heritage but has also developed in scale and quality.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong, the owner of a rice paper production facility in Vinh Duc craft village, said: " To prepare for making rice paper, we have to check the weather forecast many days in advance before deciding to soak the rice, grind the flour, and make the rice paper. Because only with sunshine can we dry the rice paper, and only then will the rice paper taste good."

Standing next to Mr. Cong is his wife, Ms. Nguyen Thi Thao, busy finalizing orders for customers. Pointing to a box containing 200 unbaked rice crackers, Ms. Thao said: "This box of crackers is being prepared to be sent to Phuc Loc commune for a customer to take as a gift to Germany." In the past, Do Luong rice crackers were only consumed within the province, but now they have reached far beyond, traveling with the people of the homeland to all corners of the world.

According to the elders, the village The craft in Vinh Duc has existed for about 300 years, specializing in producing rice crackers of just the right thickness, crispy texture, sprinkled with black sesame seeds, and offering a fragrant, nutty, and rich flavor, all hand-fanned.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong researched and improved a rice cracker baking machine to ensure the crackers cook evenly and don't burn at the edges. Photo: Hoai Thu

With a history spanning hundreds of years, the people in this profession have memorized how to fetch water, how to soak the rice, and how long to grind the flour to ensure the cake is crispy, fragrant, and captivating to diners.

After being cooked, the black sesame rice crackers are spread on bamboo mats and sun-dried. During drying, the crackers must be continuously turned to ensure even drying and a beautiful color. For optimal taste, the crackers must be dried at temperatures between 30 and 37 degrees Celsius. Around 11 am to 12 pm, when both sides are dry, they must be quickly collected because excessive sunlight will cause them to crack, break, and warp.

Mr. Nguyen Van Cong stated: To make delicious rice cakes, besides carefully selecting ingredients, the soaking and fermentation of the rice, the steaming, turning, and baking processes are crucial . Over the years, experienced bakers have mastered the secrets of ensuring that the starch, when soaked in water for the right amount of time, swells evenly, resulting in a chewy cake that is fragrant and not tough when baked. Furthermore, the charcoal must be fanned frequently to ensure the cakes cook thoroughly and don't burn.

Households in Vinh Duc craft village have invested in modern machinery to increase the production capacity of sesame rice crackers, creating regular jobs for hundreds of local workers. Photo: Hoai Thu

Since ancient times, when cakes and candies were still luxury treats, people in the rice paper making villages knew how to process ingredients from local agricultural products such as rice, peanuts, sesame seeds, etc., to create delicious and famous rice paper cakes, peanut candy, and sesame candy. Despite facing numerous ups and downs and intense competition from other traditional treats, artisans in Vinh Duc have always strived to innovate their thinking, methods, and marketing strategies to reach a wider market.

Elevating the quality of traditional local delicacies.

According to long-time producers, after receiving guidance from relevant departments on documentation, quality control, food safety and hygiene inspections, and focusing on investing in better packaging, clear information, origin, and labeling, Luong rice crackers have been certified as a 3-star OCOP product. The product is now confidently showcased at trade fairs and sold in supermarkets across many provinces.

Currently, the village's monthly revenue exceeds 1 billion VND, a dream figure achieved over many years... In addition, the products are also chosen by many agencies, organizations, and tourists from near and far as gifts, representing a traditional local delicacy with a wide variety of sizes and types. This helps promote the image of the village and the homeland.

Besides the traditional black sesame rice flour rice crackers, locals have creatively enriched the variety with other sesame rice crackers: gac fruit and black sesame rice crackers, purple sweet potato and black sesame rice crackers. Photo: Hoai Thu

In Vinh Duc craft village, there are currently dozens of households making rice paper , providing regular employment for nearly 250 workers. Among them, 10 families operate on a large scale, investing in automated rice paper making systems. Some families have been in this trade for 10 or 11 generations.

For about five years now, many households involved in this craft have invested in additional machinery and upgraded some production stages such as coating and steaming the rice paper. Using machines for molding and steaming ensures uniform size, reduces time, and minimizes labor. Each person can produce approximately 1,500-2,000 rice paper sheets per day. During peak season, many families have to hire additional seasonal workers.

Building on the success of traditional black sesame rice crackers, young people in Vinh Duc Craft Village continue to inherit the secrets of their ancestors' craft, innovating and refreshing the product by adding colors from various agricultural ingredients such as purple sweet potatoes, black glutinous rice, gac fruit, coconut, etc. Rice crackers made from gac fruit and purple sweet potatoes are more elaborate than other types and are made entirely from natural ingredients, making them quite popular in the market.

The Luong Son rice cracker production line is a closed system, ensuring compliance with export standards for demanding markets. Photo: Thanh Phuc

Besides Vinh Duc Craft Village, Do Luong commune also has a rice cracker production cooperative and dozens of other households producing on a small scale at home. Not only in Do Luong commune, but also in other localities of the former Do Luong district, there are traditional rice cracker production facilities. For example, in Van Tho hamlet, Bach Ha commune, there is the Cuong Trang rice cracker production facility. The project achieved OCOP certification in 2024 with a total investment in machinery of approximately 180 million VND, creating regular jobs for 7 local workers, with an average income of 6-8 million VND/person/month.

In Van Hien commune, driven by determination and love for their local products, young entrepreneurs Nguyen Ngoc Phuong and Nguyen Ba Thang invested in a modern factory to produce rice crackers; simultaneously, they established Luong Son Food Production and Trading Company Limited.

The sesame rice crackers produced by Cuong Trang rice cracker production facility (Bach Ha commune) achieved OCOP certification in 2024, creating jobs for 7 local workers. Photo: PV

Inheriting traditional craftsmanship secrets combined with modern production methods, all stages from dough making, batter preparation, and drying are automated by Luong Son Food Production and Trading Company Limited using production lines and machinery, with a capacity of 40 million products per year, creating jobs for 50 local workers. With two factories and a workforce of over 100 people, the company's products are diverse, including spring roll wrappers, peanut wrappers, coconut-flavored wrappers, brown rice wrappers, etc.

In 2022, the first shipments of Luong Son rice crackers were successfully exported to Japan and South Korea – markets known for their stringent quality and food safety standards. Besides Japan and South Korea, the product is expanding into other potential markets such as the US, Germany, and Australia.

This very development has given enduring vitality to the Luong rice cracker brand in the new context; it both enhances the value and preserves the traditional craft passed down from our ancestors, while also opening up opportunities for local employment, increasing income for the people, and thereby contributing to the socio -economic development of the locality.

From a traditional local delicacy, Do Luong sesame rice crackers have not only been developed into an OCOP (One Commune One Product) product but have also become a specialty gift, exported to many countries around the world . (Photo courtesy of the company)

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Source: https://baonghean.vn/suc-song-lang-nghe-banh-da-vung-xu-luong-10338489.html